


Trail

by Viridian5



Series: Stitching [2]
Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Drama, Humor, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-27 08:58:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/660154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridian5/pseuds/Viridian5
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When subtlety isn’t working, Yoji tries a more direct approach with Aya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trail

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for “Mission 15: Duell -- Hunters of Revenge,” “Mission 16: Schatten -- Return to Battle,” and “Mission 21: Trane -- Memories”; some small spoilers for Crashers Knight and Ran volumes 1 and 2 and Dramatic Collection II: Endless Rain.
> 
> Although I was occasionally tempted to name this fic “Treasure Trail,” in the end I was too classy to. *g* Thanks to Rosaleendhu and Esinde Nayrall for the read-through and beta.

Aya knew he should take a painkiller for his head but that would involve getting up off the bed, something he couldn’t manage at the moment. Not even knowing it would probably make him feel better could outweigh the more immediate pain of moving. The others would be surprised to see him giving in to a mere headache, but he could let himself do... well, a lot of things while alone in his own room that he would never do or admit to in public these days. 

He couldn’t afford to get sick, couldn’t afford not to work, and if this was a tension headache.... letting himself be more human in private didn’t include letting stress dictate what he could do. 

The pills he’d taken this morning had only taken the edge off, but it had been enough to let him get through a long shift in the flower shop. At least the fangirls hadn’t squealed or screeched quite as loudly as usual. 

Although Yoji had briefly gotten weirder over the last week, earlier today he’d been in full flirtation with the fangirls, his old normal, better than he’d been in weeks, suggesting he’d nearly gotten past his grief over... her and would soon be returning to his usual ways in everything. Good for him, because it had been heartbreaking watching him drift through his days in a thick haze of emotional pain. He could enjoy himself, go out again. 

He wouldn’t need Aya to check on him or hang around with him anymore. Aya could barely justify his visits to Yoji’s room before; with the man barely around at night he wouldn’t have a reason to go there and see if Yoji could use some company. He’d have to make excuses, be intrusive. It’d be pathetic. Nor would he visit him only after missions, when he knew he’d be home, because that would feel ghoulish very quickly. 

It would be for the best, really. Yoji was so distracting and made him feel foolish things, and spending time with him broke the promise Aya had made to himself. 

Aya had been open with the team in Sendai, hungry for human contact after the destruction of his family and so _young_ , and that had ended catastrophically. He’d gone to Crashers knowing that he was temporary and couldn’t stay long and that their ethics wouldn’t allow his need for bloody vengeance, but he’d gotten somewhat attached to Yuushi despite their constant arguments. Or because of them. He didn’t even know. He’d been far less enthused by Yuushi loudly proclaiming that he didn’t know what was best for himself and needed to be saved from himself, but that had been inseparable from the whole Yuushi package. His time with Crashers and Yuushi hadn’t ended well either; he always lost people one way or another. 

By the time he’d joined Weiß Aya had finally learned to keep his distance, tell his new co-workers less about his past and goals, let less of Ran show, and just do his work. At least he thought he had; he’d even left this team without a word after he’d accomplished his goal of killing Takatori, even if that goal hadn’t felt as satisfying as he’d thought it would. It certainly hadn’t changed his life or his sister’s life for the better. 

He hadn’t thought anyone could do anything worse to his sister than had already been done, short of killing her. He’d been naïve. They’d _taken_ her; they could kill her or do _anything_ they wished to her whenever they pleased. Sometimes his stomach twisted into knots and he couldn’t even breathe just thinking about it. Her kidnapping had forced his return to Weiß, with Kritiker putting the collar and leash back on him with a smile.

It sounded pathetic, but without his sister around to visit he had no one to talk to. 

His own troubles, pain, and loneliness must have led to him getting more personally involved in looking after Yoji after Yoji had killed that woman he’d thought was his precious lost Asuka. Seeing Yoji so diminished and hurting so deeply had made Aya hurt for him and look for a way to ease their pain, where usually Aya would spend at least a little time basking in his feeling of vindication over how the situation had turned out. 

He must have a thing for obnoxious blonds. At least Yoji wasn’t as self-righteous as Yuushi. Or as loud.

It still stunned Aya that Yoji could grieve so hard, openly, and extravagantly in public. Did he do it just because his personality worked that way or had part of him known that the rest of Weiß would take up his slack and take care of him? If Aya had gone to pieces like that after his whole world had shattered--his parents murdered, his sister put into a coma, his home destroyed, his present and future forever changed: no more schooling or school friends, no college, no career ahead, just debt and isolation and a hard hospital chair during lonely vigils and vengeance--he would’ve died without anyone missing him.

He had to stop thinking about this shit, be happy to see Yoji doing better these days, and be glad to back off and put some distance between them again. He’d always known that Yoji getting better would mean Yoji the ladies’ man leaving him, like a kind of catch and release program. _Always_ known, so there shouldn’t be any heartache now. Headaches always made things feel even worse than they should. 

Aya heard some rustling going on outside his door but no one knocked. Whoever it was just ran off. Curious, Aya got up, wincing, and dry-swallowed two pills for the pain before going to his door and opening it. He saw no one in the hallway but when he looked down he saw a line of small, shiny foil-wrapped objects going from his doorway to Yoji’s. Or perhaps vice versa. Aya picked one up and caught the scent of chocolate from it. From Yoji or someone trying to make him think it was Yoji? Why would _anyone_ leave a trail of chocolates for him?

If he did nothing, he still wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about it, which left him with an unwanted but necessary task. He went to Yoji’s door and knocked. Yoji might not even be home. Aya would wait only three minutes if no one answered. 

When Yoji opened the door and saw Aya and the piece of candy, he smiled so brightly that Aya had to step back. “Good. You found them. You better pick them up now, because if you don’t get to them before Ken does they’ll be gone.” Yoji’s happiness could be infectious, but Aya had a greater immunity than most.

“These are for me?” Aya asked. It so boggled his mind that he almost stupidly asked if the chocolates were from Yoji, even though Yoji had just admitted to it. 

“Of course.” 

“It’s not Valentine’s Day and you’re not a girl, so why?” 

“I’m definitely not a girl! I did it because I started thinking that maybe you needed some kind of invitation to come over, I know you like dark chocolate, and I think you might have a headache and need some treats.”

What? _How_? The thought that Yoji could peel his protective layers away and see what they hid sent a sudden pang of fear through him.

“Okay, hold on,” Yoji said. He walked around Aya and down the hall to pick up all the shiny chocolates, handed them to Aya, then gently but firmly pushed Aya into his cozy room and closed the door. “Take a seat and make yourself at home. Please?”

The “please” made Aya sit on the comfortable chair near the bed. Besides, if Aya didn’t have to concentrate on standing up at the same time it might be less obvious to Yoji that Aya was kind of vibrating. He let the chocolates spill out of their precarious pile in his hands to his lap. The red, silver, gold, and green foil pieces, his treasure, looked even shinier against the black of his slacks. 

No one--aside from fangirls, who didn’t count--had given him chocolate in years. This gesture shouldn’t affect him so deeply. Stupid headache.

Regaining himself, Aya said, “Explain.” 

Yoji sat on the bed, across from him but close. “Your eyes narrow a bit when you’re in pain, and they did that at work and they’re doing it now. I tried to keep the fangirls away from you and quieter. There’re only so many times a person would be able to yell, ‘Buy something or get out!’ in a day before it would stop being scary enough to work.”

“It looked more like you were flirting with them.” _Had_ Aya misread Yoji earlier?

“We all have our talents! And I know it works.”

Although Aya couldn’t quite believe Yoji’s action had been entirely selfless, he said, “Thank you. It helped.” If Yoji decided that Aya was more pleasant to work with when isolated away from the fangirls, he might try it more often. Besides, that had been very kind of Yoji.

“Did you take anything for it?”

Annoying. “I took two pills before I left my room to come here. If they’re doing anything I can’t feel it yet.”

“No need to sound so defensive. You have to admit that you don’t always take painkillers when you should.”

“I don’t have to admit to anything.” Aya winced internally at how hostile he sounded. “I don’t know why you’d want to see and talk to me when I have a headache. _I_ wouldn’t. You deserve better.” What did Yoji _want_?

Yoji smiled again. “Maybe I thought I could help you feel better and be good company again. Have a chocolate. Please?”

Aya raised an eyebrow. “Please?”

“It worked earlier.”

He might as well. Aya unwrapped a red one and put it in his mouth. It was really good chocolate, a kind of treat he seldom allowed himself, and the flavor pleasantly woke his mouth up. He didn’t really realize he’d closed his eyes to savor it until he opened them to see Yoji watching him closely, something he’d never get away with under Aya’s gaze. In fact, Yoji moved back a bit in response to Aya noticing. Apparently Yoji had been watching him closely enough without him noticing it before to know Aya’s taste in chocolate and his minimalist pain face. It worried Aya but also made him curious. He couldn’t possibly have a chance with Yoji. 

And even if he did, he shouldn’t take it. Aside from that one woman, Yoji seemed to prefer his “love” interests to be temporary while Aya didn’t do temporary well. 

Yoji’s nervous look turned to surprise. Maybe he’d expected Aya to verbally spank him for staring. Aya stripped out as much hostility as he could before asking, “What were you looking at?”

“You.”

Ha ha _no_. “Kudou.”

“When I’m this close and your eartails are moving, especially when they’re brushing your shoulders, I keep getting the urge to bat at them. I guess the cat codename is more appropriate than most people would think.”

An interesting attempt at redirection, at least. “So if I got you a laser pointer you’d be entertained for hours?”

“Maybe. But it’s not what I want most.” The nervousness returned. “It’s been nice hanging out with you lately. I might be wrong, but I figure it started because of what happened with... Neu and thought you might feel like it wasn’t needed anymore once I started to recover from her. The chocolate trail is my way of inviting you over and letting you know that I don’t want to stop seeing you.”

Yoji had given him chocolates and just admitted that he wanted to play with his hair and keep hanging out together. All of that still might not mean anything, which was safer to assume anyway. “When you’re your usual self, you don’t often stay in on your free nights. That doesn’t leave many opportunities to hang out with me.” 

“So go out with me!” 

Aya had to ask a question he wasn’t sure he wanted an answer to. “Are you asking to go out with me or _go out_ with me?”

With a winsome look, Yoji answered, “Both! Not that we have to leave home all the time or even most of the time if you’re not up for it.”

Words. This situation called for words. Too bad Aya didn’t have any. Simultaneously wanting and _not_ wanting, he couldn’t even articulate his thoughts to himself.

After a few minutes of Aya staring silently, lost, at him, Yoji said, “At least that’s not an immediate no?” He took one of the chocolates from Aya’s lap, unwrapped it, and gently pushed it into Aya’s slightly open mouth. 

Although it tasted good, that gesture gave Aya another quandary to settle: Just enjoy the chocolate or enjoy the chocolate _and_ fulfill Yoji’s apparent death wish for doing that? Perhaps realizing that he’d gone too far, Yoji said, “I know you’ve been solitary for pretty much the entire time I’ve known you, aside from recently, but I know we can be good for each other. You’ve been good for me. Give _us_ a chance, Aya.”

Fortunately, Aya’s brain started working again. Maybe the second chocolate had helped. “If things go badly, we’ll still have to live with and work with each other. That’ll be hard. And with the way our lives run, the odds of things going badly are high.” He could feel his shoulder muscles further tighten up just thinking about it.

“We could die on a mission or get hit by a truck tomorrow. Face it, it’d be surprising if either of us has a long life.”

“That’s cheerful.”

“I’m willing to take the risk for some happiness now. That’s why I’ve been hinting at you for over a week--” Then Yoji really looked at him and said, “Shit. I’m stressing you out worse trying to get an answer out of you right now. Sorry.”

Having to be seen as strong, Aya of course immediately protested, “I’m not-- Wait, what do you mean by ‘for over a week’?”

“I’ve been subtly bringing it up in conversations and doing nicer things for you, none of which you seemed to notice.”

“ _That’s_ what that was?” Aya shook his head. “Never mind. Whatever. I’m not stressed out.”

“Anybody would be, in your situation, and I think you’re handling it better than most.” 

Somehow Aya doubted that. “That’s kind of you to say.”

“Yeah, that’s me, kind and gallant. You know, I can massage some of that tension out.”

“You don’t say.”

“Sometimes a massage is just a massage! Even coming from me. You could sit at my desk with your shirt on but untucked and your head resting on a pillow. If I intended to put the moves on you, I’d make you lie on your stomach with your shirt off on the bed, straddle you, and grind against your ass.” The faraway look on Yoji’s face probably came from him imagining it.

Aya couldn’t help imagining it either, which got him annoyingly half-hard. He kept his voice level as he said, “You’ve really thought this out.”

“You’re not the first person I’ve massaged, so I’m not an amateur. You’d be in good hands!”

“That was terrible, Kudou.”

“But my massaging is not.”

Although Aya knew he shouldn’t let this happen, the offer tempted him too much. He couldn’t help hoping for some pain relief and wanting to be... touched. “...all right.”

Yoji’s smile lit up the room. “Let’s take your chair over to the desk and set it sideways so I can get to your back.”

Aya set his chocolates on a nearby table, took a pillow from Yoji’s bed, and brought his chair over to the desk, while Yoji rummaged a bit until he came up with a jar of some kind of cream or lotion. Noticing Aya’s somewhat nervous look toward it, Yoji said, “It’s just for the massage!”

He might be making a mistake here, with this, but he’d already committed himself so he sat down and rested his head on the pillow with his face turned to the side and put his arms on the desk, bracketing his head. Damn, the pillow smelled like Yoji’s hair, which made a few things... _harder_ for Aya. 

Yoji sat behind him and put his hands under Aya’s shirt to touch his bare back, mumbling, “Sorry” when Aya jumped a little at how cold the cream initially felt. At first the touches made him hurt worse, with Yoji’s rubbing, kneading, and stroking sometimes referring pain down Aya’s arms or up into his head, but soon he _did_ start to feel somewhat better. The pain died down a bit, and he started to feel somewhat lightheaded and nearly giddy, aware of the remaining pain but not suffering from it. Yoji’s warm hands somehow soothed _and_ excited Aya and left his skin feeling different. 

He noticed Yoji breathing a bit harder and how his touches kept switching back and forth between professional/therapeutic and downright sensual. Yoji pulled his hands out from under Aya’s shirt, perhaps fighting to retain self-control, so Aya lifted his head and turned in the chair to face him. As Yoji wiped the remaining cream off his hands with a towel, he stared down at them, avoiding Aya. 

“Yoji,” Aya said, his voice coming out deeper and soft without his intention. Yoji looked up.

Yoji had admitted to wanting him, but seeing the look in Yoji’s eyes and the flush on his face it became obvious that Yoji _really_ wanted him. Aya didn’t know what his own eyes and face might be doing. The air between them felt charged. When Yoji set his right hand against the side of Aya’s face, the touch somehow made Aya’s skin feel so much more _alive_. 

Aya didn’t know which of the two of them had started the passionate, sometimes frantic kissing or how he’d ended up sitting on Yoji’s lap facing him, but at the moment he didn’t want to stop. Aya was so _hungry_. He had his arms around Yoji, roaming, while Yoji had one hand in Aya’s hair, stroking and sometimes gripping, and the other moving along his lower back, soft and maddening on the bared skin between the hem of his shirt and waistband of his slacks, occasionally sliding _under_ the waistband.... 

Shivering, Aya moved his hands to Yoji’s chest to push himself away a bit. He didn’t want to admit to himself that it came from fear. “Too fast, Yoji, that’s too fast.”

Panting, Yoji let go and let Aya have some space. “Okay.” 

He couldn’t help flashing a cocky grin though, possibly because Aya still sat on his lap. That couldn’t continue. Aya stood with a much grace as he could and returned to the other chair to regain control and get rid of his erection. His meager sexual experience consisted of a brief time with a girl ages ago, and unless one counted arguing as foreplay he’d never actually done anything with Yuushi, not even kiss. For the last few years he’d rarely even touched himself. 

Maybe he should start doing it to take the edge off so he wouldn’t be so desperate and eager in Yoji’s presence. 

“You never answered my question,” Yoji said. 

Question? Oh, right. His dick needed to shut up. “Going out together? Dating each other?”

“If you want to take it slow, I’ll take it slow. Any speed you feel comfortable with.” Yoji grinned. “Though if you threw yourself at me I’d be thrilled too. I know you see it as a risk, but give it a shot. At the very least, if it doesn’t work out you can tell me off with authority and evidence and I’ll have to back off.”

“It would change things in the whole group.”

“For the better. Omi and Ken think you’re too standoffish and would be happy to see you more personally involved. Okay, Ken would freak out a lot at first, but that’s just entertainment and he’d quickly come around. We’d be even more of a team.”

Aya couldn’t help being offended by that, but he did see some truth in some of it so he didn’t protest aloud. Even though part of him wanted to, he couldn’t believe that dating Yoji would really have a positive effect on the team.

He also reminded himself of his missing, endangered sister and his duty to devote himself to her rescue but then couldn’t help thinking that _she’d_ want him to try for some happiness, something he knew because she’d tell him so when she thought he was being too shy around people. After fighting with himself for a while, he said, “It’s easy to say now, but you really have to be sure that you’ll be fine with taking things slow. If not, it’s better to admit it now and save the both of us some pain.”

“Is that a yes?”

“Is _that_ your promise?”

To his credit, Yoji gave it some thought before answering, “Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye.”

“I prefer you alive and with two working eyes.”

“Me too.”

“Although I suppose you could hide the damage behind your sunglasses.” 

“Damn, you can be vicious.” But Yoji grinned. 

“You knew that already.” Aya couldn’t help yawning. Having lost some of his muscle tension and relaxed a bit from the massage, he thought he finally might be able to sleep. “All right, yes, but right now I have to go.”

“You could stay.”

“I’m too tired and you’re too tempting.”

“That’s sweet of you. You don’t need any beauty sleep, though, because you’re just _fine_.”

Usually Aya would figure Yoji was mocking him with that, but this time he could see otherwise. Kind of cheesy though. 

He’d agreed to date this guy. “I need sleep sleep. Thanks for the chocolate and see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, wait.” Yoji pulled a cute, festive, little gift bag out of a drawer and deposited the chocolates in it before handing it over to Aya. Their fingers brushed together as he did, sending a shiver up Aya’s spine. Had Yoji felt the same? “Here you go. They’ll be easier to carry this way.”

Staring at the bag in amusement, Aya said, “‘Thank you for visiting Kudou Yoji’s room. Please enjoy this souvenir from our gift shop’?”

“I don’t even charge admission. You know, you just gave me a great idea. I may do that in the future.”

“Not while we’re dating.”

“Hey, we’re dating!”

“Goofball.” As Aya stood he felt really awkward. “Thanks. Good night.” Would Yoji expect a kiss or something? Not that he would get it. 

Yoji was still grinning and not complaining as Aya closed the door, to his relief. He didn’t know what he would have done if Yoji had made a scene. Possibly would have thrown something at him.

“Aya?!” Ken said as he left the bathroom. He looked somewhat freaked out.

“Yes,” Aya replied and kept walking. When he glanced back, he noticed that Ken still stood there, looking disturbed. 

Then he realized that Ken had just seen him leaving Yoji’s room with his hair and shirt rumpled and a gift in his hand. 

Maybe if Ken got a head start on the freaking out he’d get over it faster. Aya could hope. 

Aya hoped _he_ got over the freaking out quickly.

  


* * *

Still grinning, Yoji lit a cigarette. He no longer had to wonder as much if Aya was as intense in bed as he was in other parts of his life, because if Aya fucked like he kissed.... 

Yoji had sensed some inexperience in it, though Aya learned fast, but he actually found it kind of charming. 

Shit, he had it bad. 

Aya has said yes. Aya had said _yes_. “Slower” still meant “yes” and was much better than having no idea what Yoji was talking about because subtlety apparently flew right over Aya’s head.

It was probably healthier for them to take it slower, although he certainly wouldn’t have objected if Aya had taken it all the way tonight. Though he _had_ gotten further than he’d expected.

Weirdly, Aya letting him massage him, _touch_ him, while turning his back to him and showing vulnerability and trust had almost been hotter than Aya sitting on his legs, nearly crotch to crotch, and kissing him like his life depended on it. The nape of Aya’s neck had somehow been so sexy that Yoji had wanted to nuzzle it, kiss it, _nip_ it....

Yoji grabbed the pillow Aya had used, laid down on his bed, took a bottle of lotion out of the night stand’s top drawer, and unzipped his jeans, desperate and aching for relief. At least he had enough sense to put his lit cigarette in the ashtray on the nearby table before he put the pillow close to his face for a trace of Aya’s scent. After he put a dollop of lotion on his hand, he wrapped it around his cock and started to work it, remembering Aya’s needy mouth on his, hot and surprisingly and pleasingly aggressive, tasting of chocolate. The smooth, sleek feel of his hair and the way he’d purred when Yoji’s fingers had pressed against his scalp. The heat of his skin, and the way it was occasionally scar-studded, creating patterns under his fingertips. The feel of flexing muscle beneath. Aya grinding on top of his legs, so close but so far, but sometime soon he’d be closer....

Oh yeah. Yoji came hard and quickly, moaning from the pleasure of it. Now he _really_ needed that cigarette.

He jumped as he heard loud, angry knocking coming from both Ken’s and Aya’s walls that connected to his room. He must have been loud. So what if he liked to totally let himself go when he enjoyed something? They, especially Aya, should try it.

He’d never brought any of ladies home for security reasons and because it’d be easier to slip out and avoid a scene if he went to their places or hotel rooms. If he and Aya got it on, they’d stay in at least some of the time, so Ken should probably invest in a set of earplugs, especially since he intended to make Aya get as loud as possible.

He had to answer Aya though.

  


* * *

Yoji needed to shut up. Damn it, that loud, uninhibited performance certainly hadn’t helped Aya ignore his own hard-on. 

Yoji would tell Aya _he_ could help with it.

Aya needed to get all of that out of his head.

Suddenly he heard a series of knocks from Yoji’s side of the wall and recognized it as Morse code. Morse code that spelled out “LOVE YOU.” If he knew Morse, maybe he wasn’t such a dumb blond, which would make it easier to have a... relationship with him. 

It would make him more difficult to resist too.

  


* * *

Yoji heard a single, soft thump against the wall, probably from Aya’s head hitting it, and smirked. He’d really had a great idea with the chocolate, because they were communicating so much better now.

 

### End


End file.
